JP6471938B2 - Fluid supply device, line holder, and fluid supply device manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a fluid supply device disposed in a clean room for semiconductor manufacturing, a line holder usable in the fluid supply device, and a method for manufacturing the fluid supply device.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus disposed in a clean room is configured by attaching a large number of gas supply lines to a process chamber. Each gas supply line has a driving device and supplies a process fluid to the process chamber. . Each driving device is connected to an operating pressure supply line using a flexible tube, and the operating pressure is supplied through the flexible tube and driven and controlled to supply process fluid to the process chamber. .

  Since a plurality of driving devices provided in each gas supply line is provided with an operating pressure supply line, a large number of flexible tubes are arranged in the casing of the gas supply device. Each operating pressure supply line is provided with an AND element, an OR element, or the like to which a plurality of flexible tubes are connected, and many flexible tubes are provided.

  Patent Document 1 proposes a technique for correctly connecting a large number of transport lines that transport a gaseous or liquid substance. Here, a male plug is provided at the end of one line, a female connector is provided at the end of the other line, and can be inserted into the holder when the male plug and female connector are properly connected. In this way, connection mistakes are prevented.

JP-A-5-215285

  By the way, in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, in a gas supply apparatus that supplies a process fluid to a process chamber, each operating pressure supply line is constituted by a large number of flexible tubes. Since the flexible tube is deformed and arranged by utilizing its flexibility, the flexibility in arrangement in the housing is large, and the arrangement work of each operating pressure supply line tends to be different for each gas supply device. Therefore, there was a large individual difference among the assembly operators regarding each operating pressure supply line.

  Therefore, it takes time to inspect whether or not the working pressure supply line is correctly arranged at the time of assembly manufacturing and maintenance. Since a large number of flexible tubes are accommodated in a narrow space, the labor is extremely complicated.

  Furthermore, since there is a large degree of freedom in the arrangement of the flexible tubes, if there are individual differences among workers in the path of the operating pressure supply line, there is a risk that the operating pressure transmission time will be shifted. When such a deviation occurs, individual differences affect the supply timing and amount of process gas supplied from the gas supply line to the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, resulting in variations in the quality of the obtained semiconductor products.

  Accordingly, the present invention provides a fluid supply apparatus, a manufacturing method thereof, and a line used in the fluid supply apparatus, which are arranged in a clean room for semiconductor manufacturing and can be provided with a working pressure supply line using a flexible tube along a predetermined path. An object is to provide a holding tool.

The concept of the present invention is as follows.
[1] One or a plurality of fluid supply lines that have a driving device and supply a process fluid to the process region;
One or a plurality of operating pressure supply lines having a plurality of flexible tubes and a connecting member for connecting the flexible tubes and connected to the driving device;
A line holder that defines the position and orientation of the connecting member in the one or more operating pressure supply lines and holds and fixes the connecting member;
A fluid supply device disposed in a clean room for semiconductor manufacturing.
[2] At least the driving device among the one or more fluid supply lines, at least the flexible tube and the connection member, and the line holder among the one or more working pressure supply lines. The fluid supply device according to [1], which is housed in a housing.
[3] The fluid supply device according to [2], wherein the line holder holds the coupling member and is fixed to the housing.
[4] A line holder for holding an operating pressure supply line that is disposed in a fluid supply device in a clean room for semiconductor manufacturing and connected to a driving device of the fluid supply line,
A holding portion for holding a push-in type connecting member for connecting a plurality of flexible tubes in the operating pressure supply line, and a fixing portion for fixing the holding portion by defining the position and orientation of the connecting member And a line holder.
[5] A method of manufacturing a fluid supply device disposed in a clean room for semiconductor manufacturing,
One or a plurality of fluid supply lines that have a driving device and supply a process fluid to the process region are disposed,
By connecting one or a plurality of operating pressure supply lines configured by connecting a plurality of flexible tubes with a connecting member to the drive device, and holding the connecting member on a line holder, the connecting member Is defined in a preset position and orientation, and the connecting member is fixed.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to define and fix the position and orientation of the connecting member by holding the connecting member for connecting the plurality of flexible tubes in the operating pressure supply line by the line holder. it can. If the connecting member is fixed by holding the connecting member on the line holder, the connecting member can be set in a predetermined position and orientation with respect to each drive device of the fluid supply line. Therefore, it is possible to arrange an operating pressure supply line having a high degree of freedom of arrangement along a predetermined route by using a flexible tube.

  As a result, even if the operating pressure supply line is configured by a plurality of fluid supply devices, there is little difference due to differences in assembly work of the operating pressure supply lines, and the same operating pressure supply is made using the same type of fluid supply device. Even if the line is configured, it is possible to prevent individual differences in the path of the operating pressure supply line. This makes it possible to easily check the configuration of the operating pressure supply line, and stabilize the behavior of the driving equipment when supplying or releasing the operating pressure by stabilizing the path to each driving equipment of the operating pressure supply line. Can be

It is a perspective view of the fluid supply apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. (A) is a perspective view of a line holder according to an embodiment of the present invention, (b) is a perspective view showing a state in which a connecting member is held by the line holder of (a), and (c) is a perspective view of (a). It is a perspective view which shows the state which fixed the line holder to the housing | casing of the fluid supply apparatus. It is a perspective view of the line holder concerning other embodiments of the present invention. It is a perspective view of the line holder concerning other embodiments of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
The fluid supply apparatus of this embodiment is an apparatus that is disposed in a clean room for semiconductor manufacturing and supplies a process fluid to a process region such as a process chamber, and controls a flow state such as supply timing, time, flow rate, and flow rate. .

  Here, in the semiconductor manufacturing, manufacturing of various wafers or a part thereof, electronic devices using various wafers, manufacturing of optical devices or a part thereof, liquid crystal (FPD), solar panel manufacturing or one of them. Part manufacturing. The inside of a semiconductor manufacturing clean room may be a space where various manufacturing apparatuses are arranged isolated from the outside world, or may be a space whose cleanness is slightly lower than that space. The process fluid is a region where a semiconductor substrate or a substrate having a film such as a semiconductor film, an insulating film, or a metal film is disposed in various processes during semiconductor manufacturing, for example, in a process chamber, that is, It is a fluid such as a gas or a liquid that is directly supplied and used in the process area. This embodiment is a process gas used in processes such as purge and other cleaning, deposition, and etching. The process region is not limited to a region where a semiconductor substrate, a semiconductor film, an insulating film, a metal film, or the like is disposed, but may be a region in the previous stage, for example, a region where a plurality of fluids are mixed.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a fluid supply apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a drive device 11 and one or a plurality of fluid supply lines 13 that supply a process fluid to a process region, and a drive. One or a plurality of operating pressure supply lines 15 that are connected to the device 11 and control the driving of the driving device 11, and a housing 17 that accommodates these are provided.

  Each fluid supply line 13 includes an inlet side connecting portion 13a connected to an upstream side pipe and other supply source side members, an outlet side connecting portion 13b connected to a downstream destination side member, and a process to be supplied Between the plurality of driving devices 11 such as various valves combined so as to be suitable for fluid control and the inlet side connection portion 13a and the outlet side connection portion 13b, a hard non-deformable flow path is provided together with the plurality of driving devices 11. And a base block 13c to be configured. The base block 13c is also called a lower block or a block joint.

  Each operating pressure supply line 15 connects between a pneumatic member such as a solenoid valve (not shown) and each driving device 11, and connects a plurality of flexible tubes 15a and the flexible tubes 15a. Member 15b. Each drive device 11 is operated by supplying a working fluid pressure such as nitrogen gas to the working pressure supply line 15.

  As shown in FIG. 2B, the connecting member 15b is of a push-in type that can be connected to the flexible tube 15a by inserting the end of the flexible tube 15a into the connection hole 15c. The flexible tube 15a and the connecting member 15b are connected to each other by inserting and connecting the end portions of the flexible tubes 15a to the plurality of connection holes 15c. In the connecting member 15b of the present embodiment, three flexible tubes are connected from three directions on substantially the same plane, and a control circuit such as an AND circuit or an OR circuit of the operating pressure supply line 15 is configured.

  As shown in FIGS. 2A to 2C, the fluid supply device 10 according to the present embodiment includes a line holder 20 for holding the operating pressure supply line 15. The line holder 20 holds the connecting member 15b and fixes the connecting member 15b to the housing 17, and includes a block-shaped main body portion 21 and a support lid 23 attached to the main body portion 21, and is attached. The support lid 23 is fixed to the main body 21 by screws 25 and fixed to the housing 17.

  The main body portion 21 of the line holder 20 is provided with a groove-shaped holding portion 27 that is open around the side and has a shape corresponding to the connecting member 15b. The holding part 27 is fixed at the preset position on the inner wall of the casing 17 in a preset orientation, and the fixing surface 29 on the back surface of the main body 21 is brought into contact with the casing 17 and fixed by the mounting screw 25. Has been.

  The connecting member 15b is held at the holding portion 27 of the line holder 20 and is fixed to the casing 17 by the fixing surface 29, so that the connecting member 15b is disposed at a predetermined position and orientation set in advance with respect to the corresponding driving device 11. Can do. In this embodiment, since the one main-body part 21 is provided with respect to the one connection member 15b, a position and direction can be prescribed | regulated for every connection member 15b, and the connection member 15b can be fixed.

  In the fluid supply apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the drive devices 11 and base blocks 13 c of the plurality of fluid supply lines 13, the flexible tubes 15 a and the connection members of the plurality of operating pressure supply lines 15. 15 b and the line holder 20 are accommodated in the housing 17. In the housing 17, each line holder 20 is fixed at a predetermined position on the side wall of the housing 17 above the liquid supply line 13 with the plurality of fluid supply lines 13 arranged on the lower side of the housing 17. As a result, the operating pressure supply line 15 is arranged at a predetermined position.

  In order to manufacture the fluid supply apparatus 10 disposed in a clean room for a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, a plurality of fluid supply lines 13 having driving devices 11 are arranged in advance, and a plurality of flexible tubes 15a are connected. A plurality of operating pressure supply lines 15 connected and configured by the member 15 b may be connected to the driving device 11, and the connecting member 15 b may be held by the line holder 20 and fixed to the inner wall of the housing 17. As a result, the connecting member 15b can be fixed by defining a preset position and orientation, and the hydraulic pressure supply line 15 is arranged at a predetermined position and orientation with respect to each drive device 11 to manufacture the fluid supply apparatus 10. be able to.

  As described above, according to the fluid supply device 10 manufactured using the line holder 20, the connecting member 15 b for connecting the plurality of flexible tubes 15 a in the working pressure supply line 15 is connected to the line holder. By being held by 20, the position and orientation of the connecting member 15b are defined and fixed. If the connecting member 15b is held and fixed to the line holder 20, the connecting member 15b can be installed at a preset position and orientation with respect to each driving device 11 of the fluid supply line 13. Therefore, by using the flexible tube 15a, it is possible to arrange the operating pressure supply line 15 having a high degree of freedom in arrangement along a predetermined route.

  As a result, a difference due to a difference in assembly work of the working pressure supply line 15 is less likely to occur, and even if the same working pressure supply line 15 is configured using the same type of fluid supply apparatus 10, the path of the fluid supply apparatus 10 It is possible to prevent the occurrence of individual differences. As a result, the configuration of the operating pressure supply line 15 can be easily inspected, and the path to each driving device 11 of the operating pressure supply line 15 is stabilized, so that the driving device at the time of supplying or releasing the operating pressure. 11 behavior can be stabilized.

The above-described embodiment can be appropriately changed within the scope of the present invention.
For example, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which the process gas is used as the process fluid has been described.
In the above embodiment, an example of an apparatus provided with a plurality of fluid supply lines 13 having a plurality of drive devices 11 as the fluid supply device 10 has been described. However, the present invention is not particularly limited thereto, and for example, one drive device The apparatus provided with the some fluid supply line 13 which has 11, the apparatus provided with the one fluid supply line 13 which has the some drive device 11 etc. may be sufficient.

In the above-described embodiment, an example in which three flexible tubes connected from three directions are used as the connecting member 15b and held by the line holder 20 having the groove-shaped holding portion 27 opened in three directions will be described. However, the number of flexible tubes 15a connected by the connecting member 15b, the shape of the holding portion 27 in the line holder 20, and the like are not limited at all.
For example, it may be a connecting member that connects two flexible tubes 15a from directions other than the same straight line, or a connecting member that connects four or more flexible tubes 15a.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the connecting member 15b for connecting the three flexible tubes 15a is held by using the line holder 20 having the groove-like holding portions 27 opened in four directions on substantially the same plane. It is also possible to hold the connecting member 15b that connects the four flexible tubes 15a. According to the line holding part 27 provided with the groove-like holding parts 27 opened at many places around the side, the number of the opening parts or the number of flexible tubes smaller than the number of the opening parts can be connected. In order to hold | maintain the connection member 15b, it can be used in common.

  In the above embodiment, an example in which one line holder 20 is used for each connecting member 15b has been described. However, as illustrated in FIG. By attaching the support lid 23 to the position 21, the positions and orientations of the plurality of connecting members 15b can be defined together. In this case, as shown in FIG. 2A and FIG. 3, since the mounting holes 26 of the mounting screws 25 in the main body portions 21 are provided at the same position and in the same direction, any number of the main body portions 21 in the thickness direction. Can be laminated, and versatility is improved.

  Further, the main body 21 may be stacked not only when facing the inner wall from the inner wall of the housing 17 as shown in FIG. 4 but also so as to face the inner wall of the housing 17.

10: Fluid supply device 11: Drive device 13: Fluid supply line (gas supply line)
13a: Inlet side connecting portion 13b: Outlet side connecting portion 13c: Base block 15: Operating pressure supply line 15a: Flexible tube 15b: Connecting member 15c: Connection hole 17: Housing 20: Line holder 21: Body portion 23: Support lid 25: Mounting screw 26: Mounting hole 27: Holding part 29: Fixing surface (fixing part)

Claims (5)

One or more fluid supply lines having drive equipment and supplying process fluid to the process area;
One or a plurality of operating pressure supply lines having a plurality of flexible tubes and a connecting member for connecting the flexible tubes and connected to the driving device;
A line holder that defines the position and orientation of the connecting member in the one or more operating pressure supply lines and holds and fixes the connecting member;
And a fluid supply device disposed in a clean room for semiconductor manufacturing.   At least the drive device among the one or more fluid supply lines, at least the flexible tube and the connecting member, and the line holder among the one or more working pressure supply lines are in a housing. The fluid supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fluid supply apparatus is accommodated.   The fluid supply apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the line holder holds the connecting member and is fixed to the housing. A line holder for holding an operating pressure supply line disposed in a fluid supply device in a clean room for semiconductor manufacturing and connected to a drive device of the fluid supply line,
A holding portion for holding a push-in type connecting member for connecting a plurality of flexible tubes in the operating pressure supply line, and a fixing portion for fixing the holding portion by defining the position and orientation of the connecting member And a line holder. A manufacturing method of a fluid supply device arranged in a clean room for semiconductor manufacturing,
One or a plurality of fluid supply lines that have a driving device and supply a process fluid to the process region are disposed,
By connecting one or a plurality of operating pressure supply lines configured by connecting a plurality of flexible tubes with a connecting member to the drive device, and holding the connecting member on a line holder, the connecting member Is defined and fixed at a preset position and orientation.

Images